Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Tonga
Tonga: Food imports (% of merchandise imports) was 29.9% in 2025. ▼ Falling
Food imports in Tonga, 1975–2025
Source: Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division. Measured in % of merchandise imports.
Analysis
In 2025, food imports in Tonga stood at 29.9%.
That represents a change of up 8.7% on the previous year and up 9.9% over ten years.
Over the whole period, food imports in Tonga peaked at 35.8% in 1976 and was at its lowest, 19.8%, in 2002.
Tonga ranks 16th of 196 countries on this measure, in the top 10%.
The long-run direction has been consistently falling across the 36 years of available data.
Food imports (% of merchandise imports) in Tonga, year by year
| Year | % of merchandise imports | Change |
|---|---|---|
| 1975 | 34.4% | — |
| 1976 | 35.8% | +4.1% |
| 1977 | 33.7% | -5.8% |
| 1978 | 35.1% | +4.1% |
| 1979 | 33.2% | -5.5% |
| 1980 | 30.3% | -8.8% |
| 1981 | 30.4% | +0.3% |
| 1982 | 27.5% | -9.5% |
| 1983 | 30.0% | +9.1% |
| 1984 | 30.3% | +1.0% |
| 1985 | 28.5% | -5.8% |
| 1986 | 28.9% | +1.2% |
| 1987 | 27.4% | -5.1% |
| 2000 | 23.2% | -15.2% |
| 2001 | 21.6% | -7.0% |
| 2002 | 19.8% | -8.5% |
| 2003 | 19.8% | +0.0% |
| 2004 | 22.0% | +11.1% |
| 2005 | 20.5% | -6.7% |
| 2006 | 22.1% | +7.6% |
| 2007 | 22.0% | -0.4% |
| 2008 | 28.6% | +30.0% |
| 2009 | 33.7% | +18.1% |
| 2010 | 29.1% | -13.6% |
| 2011 | 29.8% | +2.3% |
| 2012 | 29.0% | -2.6% |
| 2013 | 29.8% | +2.5% |
| 2014 | 27.2% | -8.6% |
| 2017 | 28.5% | +4.7% |
| 2018 | 24.7% | -13.3% |
| 2019 | 23.6% | -4.3% |
| 2020 | 29.2% | +23.7% |
| 2021 | 35.7% | +22.3% |
| 2022 | 28.1% | -21.5% |
| 2023 | 27.5% | -2.1% |
| 2025 | 29.9% | +8.7% |
Tonga compared with similar countries
- Tonga's 29.9% is above the median for upper middle income countries, which is 15.4%, 1.9× the median. (56 countries reporting)
- Tonga's 29.9% is above the median for East Asia & Pacific, which is 12.9%, 2.3× the median. (31 countries reporting)
Averages by decade
| Decade | Average | Lowest | Highest | Years |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1970s | 34.4% | 33.2% | 35.8% | 5 |
| 1980s | 29.1% | 27.4% | 30.4% | 8 |
| 2000s | 23.3% | 19.8% | 33.7% | 10 |
| 2010s | 27.7% | 23.6% | 29.8% | 8 |
| 2020s | 30.1% | 27.5% | 35.7% | 5 |
Countries ranked near Tonga
More private sector data for Tonga
- Merchandise trade 39.5% (2025)
- Manufactures imports 48.5% (2025)
- Merchandise imports 255.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service imports 169.35 million current US$ (2025)
- Food exports 15.0% (2025)
- Manufactures exports 84.2% (2025)
- Merchandise exports 13.00 million current US$ (2025)
- Commercial service exports 102.80 million current US$ (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per capita 125.31 current US$ per person (2025)
- Merchandise exports (current US$), per unit of GDP 0.0191 current US$ per US$ of GDP (2025)
Frequently asked questions
- What is food imports in Tonga?
- Food imports in Tonga was 29.9% in 2025, according to Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division.
- What is the highest food imports recorded in Tonga?
- The highest recorded value was 35.8% in 1976.
- What is the lowest food imports recorded in Tonga?
- The lowest recorded value was 19.8% in 2002.
- How does Tonga rank for food imports?
- Tonga ranks 16th out of 196 countries with data for 2025.
- Is food imports rising or falling in Tonga?
- Over the last ten years it is up 9.9%. The long-run trend across the full record is falling.
- Where does this Tonga data come from?
- The figures come from Comtrade database, United Nations (UN), publisher: UN Statistics Division, published as part of Food imports (% of merchandise imports). Statizoid updates them automatically from the source API.
Download this data
CSV · JSON — 36 observations, free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 (World Bank Open Data).
About this data
Food comprises the commodities in SITC (Rev. 3) sections 0 (food and live animals), 1 (beverages and tobacco), and 4 (animal and vegetable oils and fats) and division 22 (oil seeds, oil nuts, and oil kernels). This indicator is expressed as a percentage of merchandise imports which is comprised of goods whose economic ownership is changed between a non-resident and a resident and that are not included in the following specific categories: goods under merchanting, non-monetary gold, and parts of travel, construction, and government goods and services n.i.e.